[4]
Reigning over the Egyptians Epaphus married
Memphis, daughter of
Nile, founded and named the city of
Memphis after her, and begat a daughter
Libya, after whom the region of
Libya was called.
1
Libya had by Poseidon twin sons, Agenor and Belus.
2
Agenor departed to
Phoenicia and reigned there, and there he became the ancestor of the great stock; hence we shall defer our account of him.
3
But Belus remained in
Egypt, reigned over the country, and married Anchinoe, daughter of
Nile, by whom he had twin
sons, Egyptus and Danaus,
4
but according to Euripides, he had also Cepheus and Phineus. Danaus was settled by Belus in
Libya, and Egyptus in
Arabia; but Egyptus subjugated the country of the Melampods and named it
Egypt < after himself>. Both had children by many wives; Egyptus had fifty sons, and Danaus fifty daughters. As they afterwards quarrelled concerning the kingdom, Danaus feared the sons of Egyptus, and by the advice of Athena he built a ship, being the first to do so, and having put his daughters on board he fled. And touching at
Rhodes he set up the image of Lindian Athena.
5
Thence he came to
Argos and the reigning king Gelanor surrendered the kingdom to him;
6
< and having made himself master of the country he named the inhabitants Danai after himself>. But the country being
waterless, because Poseidon had dried up even the springs out of anger at Inachus for testifying that the land belonged to Hera,
7
Danaus sent his daughters to draw water. One of them, Amymone, in her search for water threw a dart at a deer and hit a sleeping satyr, and he, starting up, desired to force her; but Poseidon appearing on the scene, the satyr fled, and Amymone lay with Poseidon, and he revealed to her the springs at
Lerna.
8